


The tale of three

by RandomCrytic



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternative Universe - Middle ages, Deity Au, Edge Stretch and Papyrus are knights, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Sans Red and Blue are forest gods
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-20 16:57:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19380913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomCrytic/pseuds/RandomCrytic
Summary: This is the start of a great adventure, where three knights venture into the ancient mountains in search of legendary creatures and treasure. Along the way, they get to know three guardian gods.





	1. The legend of the mountains

**Author's Note:**

> This is kinda an intro, not the actual story. I don't know how long this will be or if I will even finish it. I just like the whole Deity AU spiel and I think there aren't enough fics about it.
> 
> Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

"There exists a legend in this land, a legend of three spirits that call the mountains you wish to climb, home. Not many dare to venture past this point because many believe the legend is true and that the spirits they speak of are pure evil. Most say that the spirits devour whoever doesn't meet their narrow-minded expectations and leave their soulless husk of a body as a trophy to warn off other venturers from coming near. The towns folk that sent you here are one of the few that still believe that each of those spirits are in actuality an ancient diety and that they bring luck to whoever they show themselves."  
The eldest turtle, Garson, that the mentioned town residents told the three knights about, told them this legend. The knights took his words with honor and each spoke their farewell before embarking on their dangerous journey.

All three skeleton monsters were determined to venture into the legendary mountains despite the elder's well-meant warnings.

One of the three men, the tallest one that wears red, said that this is a pretty fucking stupid idea to begin with. The middle-sized skeleton, that wears orange armor and always keeps a pipe between his yellowed teeth simply shrugs and follows the shortest, most energetic of them all. That one, called Papyrus, wears an eye-catching white and stands out the most despite the other two being taller. He is already walking enthusiastically ahead of his two less enthusiastic comrades, excited to meet these so called 'evil spirits'. He always believes that spirits, gods, humans and monsters alike are innocent until proven guilty.

The knight wearing red, nicknamed Edge, however believes that everything is either free exp or a simple, rude 'truthworthy'. When Papyrus asked him somewhere in the past, why he sees everything in the worst light before even meeting the creature, he said that he does that so he is never disappointed by false expectations and that optimistic, gullible knights such as Papyrus, get easily fooled and killed by intelligent spirits and demons.

The orange knight, nicknamed Stretch, doesn't care about pretty much anything. He ignores monstrosities and outright sleeps trough even the most intense tales and legends people tell them on their travels. He only ever puts up one hell of a fight (quite literally, because he is a fire magic wielder on top of being a knight) if they are attacked by the creature in question. Papyrus respects him for that, but doesn't respect his lazyness.

And so they travel in relative silence for a few hours, only stopping and speaking to each other when they had to decide on a path or they needed to stop for water and food. Papyrus gets tired by the silence, in need of socializing, so he starts up a conversation on the topic that he is sure is on all of their minds.  
"Do you think the spirits are nice?"

"Well, we're pretty deep in the mountains already and we didn't see anything more dangerous than the badger from earlier" Stretch says, smoking his pipe even while talking. Edge doesn't bother hiding his disgust in his usually calm facial expression.

"Well, yes, but maybe they are the types of spirits that are tied to a particular area? Like a sacred stone or maybe a large, beautiful tree like out of my bedtime fairytale!" Papyrus's eye sockets sparkle somehow. The best answer to 'how' concerning monsters is simply ' _because magic'_. Makes your head hurt less.

"Or maybe they are like sirens and feed on people like you" Edge says, sounding bored. Papyrus huffs out, "Don't be silly Edge, they can't eat me! I don't have any fleshy bits! So...by the process of elimination, they will have to be my friend instead!"

"Yeah, if you're not hunter and prey, you're friends. That seems logical and smart" says Stretch. Papyrus hums in agreement.  
"That's how the saying goes!"

"No it doesn't" Edge says bluntly.

Papyrus completely ignores that. "What do you think they look like? Maybe they're like fairies with huge butterfly wings!"

"Maybe they have piranha faces and bodies like toads, and they smell like burned garbage" Edge suggests.

Stretch grins. "Maybe they're hot, naked forest girls who got a little lost and need some guidance~"

"Don't ruin my excitement with your filthy pornography" Papyrus almost-threatens. Stretch doesn't seem affected by it, because he looks like his mind is in his gutter as he gazes into nothingness with an all-telling blush and a shit-eating grin.  
Edge looses all the respect for him he ever had because of that, which was already little to none to begin with.

And so they traveled for hours and hours until they came upon a single, half-broken shrine in a large clearing. It looks unkempt and abandoned so they decide to settle down and make their camp in the clear spot it provided. There was a large tree growing right behind the little shrine and it casted a protective shadow against the sun and it's large branches against rain.

It saddened Papyrus to see the broken thing left unwanted and forgotten by time, so he bowed down in respect and said his thank you's towards the diety it is meant for before settling down for a night of easy sleep. He somehow feels protected and safe near the shrine, so he placed his leather bed closest to the pretty piece of stone. He was facing the ancient carvings, so he got a good look at them. He could only see the feet of a skeleton and a tiny piece of silky robes it wore, everything else is in ruin. He briefly wondered if this is one of the legendary spirit's shrine?


	2. The deity of patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus sees something with antlers and doesn't know how to react.
> 
> Sans finds his new friend interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first deity they meet will obviously be Sans. He's the easiest to meet and the most chill out of the three gods.

The three knights chose the abandoned shrine as a temporary camp. They agreed to take a break for a few days to scavenge some food, water and other necessities. They will call the camp home for a while because of that.

Papyrus doesn't mind in the least, he is beginning to take a liking to this place. He feels at peace with himself whenever he sits near the shrine and looks up at the mighty tree's leaves rustling about, like his soul itself belongs here.

Not only that, but he has slept for more than 4 hours during nighttime in this camp. That astonished his two friends, because they know that Papyrus pretty much doesn't sleep at all. Yet for some reason, sleeping here seems so natural and right, he just can't resist to let himself go to the dream world.

He wonders if the spirit of this shrine has anything to do with it. Maybe the shrine isn't abandoned after all? He started to worry that him and his friends were trespassing something sacred.

So when Edge left to hunt for wild boars and Stretch went for a quick bath in the river not far away from camp, Papyrus sat down in front of the shrine and spoke to it.  
"Hello, shrine spirit! I am so terribly sorry for taking this long to speak to you! It was very rude of me and my friends to interrupt your resting place. That is, if you are still here."  
There is only silence.  
"... _Are_  you still here?" Papyrus asks, still there is no response.

But on the tree, a spirit has heard him and kept on listening. Only, the spirit is no spirit at all, but a sacred diety. A lesser god and one of the three legendary guardians of these mountains. His name is patience and he is a deity of the trait his name spells. The mortals that liked to consider him a friend long ago nicknamed him 'Sans' as a friendly joke. He likes to consider such a silly name as his real name because it makes him sound less intimidating.

He watches the knight in shining white armor trough the branches, smile growing to a genuine grin as he hears the mortal speak to him. The forest spirit's antlers are full of blooming flowers imitating the ones that grow on this tree which he uses for camouflage. He settles down and listens to the mortal blabber about unimportant things.

He was stirred from his decade long slumber by the same skeleton monster three days ago when he thanked his shrine for allowing them to stay. The diety observed the men setting up their camp in silence and stayed passive while watching for signs if they are planning to do something harmful to his home. He was pleasantly surprised that they did nothing to the nature surrounding them like so many before them did and decided to allow them to stay. Monsters like them are rare and he decided he would appreciate some company.

He had to suffer staying awake while his new guests made themselves at home though, since he had a hard time sleeping with so much activity and noise mortals are fated to produce.  
He stopped minding the calamity following the knights quickly in favor of watching them do their amusing shenanigans. It's the most fun the diety had in years, watching them yell at each other all the time with and with no malice. It is almost like a private circus, It's refreshing and pleasantly different than the usual silence of the woods.  
If he closes his eyes, he can pretend he plays a part in their fun little group.

Back to the present and he still closes his eyes, but now he closes them to hear Papyrus' voice better. He hears him talk about his day and how much he's mad at his friends for not bothering to share their thanks to the shrine like him. The deity doesn't really mind, but he minds that the knight minds. Is this what caring about something feels like? He almost forgot he _could_  care, after having no one but himself and an occasional animal for company the past many many years. So many years in fact, that he stopped keeping count of them and just settled for eternity.

"It really is a shame" The knight says suddenly, which catches the spirit's attention. "This place must have looked even more beautiful and glorious in it's prime days" he sighs, a wishful smile on his face while imagining the shrine in all it's glory when it was built. Back when people came here to pray.

That makes the hiding skeleton stiffen. Patience is eternal, and so is it's namesake. He is cursed to live tied to this lonely place until the day not a single person remembers him anymore, not by legends or myths or their own memories. Because of that, he had to suffer trough seeing all his friends and followers die out, no one left to take care of his shrine. Such is the way of a deity, a godly figure that exists to serve mortals that so easily forget they even exist in the first place.  
That fact used to hurt him, whenever a mortal forgot his name, forgot the ways he taught them to behave and live far from trouble, when they forgot where his shrine lies...but now, that he is only remembered as a horrible legend and as a pretty trait, he has no energy in him to care.

Or...he thought he doesn't have it in him to care, until now. Despite his deep conviction that his soul died long ago and his body stayed just like the husks of his enemies he leaves behind, this mortals seems to awake _something_  in him. Something thrilling and buried under layers and layers of apathy in the creature's soul.

The knight stops speaking after a while, getting tired of talking and getting no response in return for his trouble. Just as he was about to stand and go on his way to find something more productive to do, the diety formed a round, red apple with his magic and let it fall to the knight's feet. It startled the poor thing, making him look from the offending fruit up to the tree that dropped it. The confusion on his face was evident and the spirit soon figured out why by observing the tree more closely.  
He figured out that this is not an apple tree at all. He must've forgotten that fact because he was so immersed with his guest's appearance that he paid no mind to his surroundings.

Papyrus looked back at the gift from the heavens, quite literally this time, and picked it up carefully. He examined it, thinking about where it could of come from. His thoughts kept furiously pointing at the spirits from the legend so he looked up at the tree and smiled, bright and genuine. "Thank you forest spirit! I thank you for listening to me ramble! Have I known you were actually here--- I would of spared you from my silly stories! You must be bored out of your mind by now. I shall let you be!" He says, voice raised so the spirit might hear him better. The spirit in question got embarassingly warmed by the monster's second thank you and let himself relax a bit too much as a result. The knight caught sight of his long antlers, the part that wasn't covered by flowers. It made the skeleton freeze and stare in open mouthed shock. There is no way a deer could have climbed a tall tree such as this, so that means...

The diety let out a loud gasp when he noticed he was spotted and ducked back to his hiding place on the thick branch, hidden well by leaves. He mentally face palmed as to not alert the mortal further to his presence.

Papyrus stood there for a while longer, blinking and rubbing his sockets to convince himself he isn't dreaming. He must be seeing things, right? But he is certain he saw antlers just now and he heard that gasp! That must have been the spirit and it might still be here, he has to pull himself together dammit!

"U-uh, hello spirit-person! I am so sorry to startle you away...! I was just surprised. I thought you had left your shrine, I wasn't aware you were watching me this entire time..."  
Gods this is embarassing. He heard faint rustling on the tree. He imagines with antlers such as the ones he took a peek of, it's hard to stay hidden on a leafy minefield. "It is ok! The great Papyrus is no threat! I wish to see you if possible...? You do not need to strain yourself for me if you do not feel comfortable though. Speaking with a tree in between us is kind of rude and counter-productive, I must note however"

That earned a snort from the spirit in hiding, which makes Papyrus' confidence and unwavering smile return. "Is that a 'yes' on coming out of the metaphorical closet?"

"Heh, I'm not much for showing off big guy. This is fine." The diety says, he sounds eternal with the way his voice has a natural echo to it. His casual words do not match the godliness of his vocal cords.

"Oh, well--- I do not wish to complain but...does it have to do with something I have done? Did I offend you by speaking to you, spirit?" Papyrus asks. The shame in Papyrus' voice puts an instinctual , protective edge to the guardian's words. "Gods no. You are the purest thing that has ever set foot here. I just..."

Everything clicked in Papyrus' skull like puzzle pieces. "Are you...afraid?"

The silence that follows perfectly answers Papyrus' question.

"You don't have to be scared! I am really not that scary, even though my abs are very much intimidating and my cape is very cool, I must admit. But I vowed as a knight that I will never use my sword against an innocent person!" Papyrus says with sincerity and bravery the god he speaks to doesn't feel.

The mountain defender reasons with himself that the knight already knows he is here so there is no point in hiding any longer. He also reminds himself that he is the god here and can easily protect himself if necessary, there is next to nothing to worry about.

With renewed resolve, he steps out of hiding and lets himself drop off the tree. The skeleton monster on the ground tenses and reaches out his arms to catch him but is quick to freeze whole when the beautiful creature starts floating mid way, slowly fluttering down until his feet touch the soft grass in front of his shrine. His shortness doesn't make him any less stunning and beautiful looking than he is. The silky dress and equally as soft looking veil draped across his horns and the top of his skull makes him look royal and sacred. The blooming flowers on those betraying antlers turned more pink in color the longer Papyrus stares. The knight drops to his knees in front of the sight, which makes the spirit bristle, and bows.  
"I am blessed to be in your presence" He says, serious and voice full of emotion. The deity laughs.

Papyrus tenses and looks up in confusion, only to see the stunning creature burst into tears and carefree laughter that sounds as if it hasn't seen the light of days for an eternity. The sight warms some feral part of him and makes him realize that this is something he didn't know he needed to exist.

The deity's grin is wide and happy when he says,

"Hi 'I am blessed', I'm Sans"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans is not acting godly at all.  
> I couldn't write him seriously if held at gun point.
> 
> By the way, none of the skeletons are related in this story so their relationships are not actually considered as incest in this work.


End file.
